The "Harassment Package"

Journal Entry Thur 13 Jan 2011 (continued)
After a brief layover in Leipzig, Germany we continued on to Manas. That’s when the “harassment package” kicked into full swing. Yes, it is just what it sounds like…pure harassment suffered by the masses. Don’t get me wrong , it’s not like we ever intend to put people through it; the harassment package just happens. So what is the “harassment package?” Simply put, it’s a well intentioned plan that is not well executed and definitely not well received.
The “harassment package” is almost always carried out at night and/or in the worst weather conditions. This way, you are required to dig for a flashlight at the bottom of your pack and your stuff can get wet as it sits out in the elements. Inevitably the package requires that roll call be taken numerous times…”Albertson…Ames…Ashley…Atterbury.” By the time they get to “Sablan” I’m usually daydreaming about something else. Then there’s “that guy”, the guy that has to hear his full name twice before he realizes it’s him they’re calling. Seriously? Did you think there was another Wardinsky, Thomas R.? The roll call thing is actually not that bad, but can be exacerbated when accompanied by a sight count of serialized gear; a whole other aspect of harassment that I won’t even go into. Anther aspect of the “package” includes finding your three pieces of baggage amongst hundreds of others that look exactly the same. Good luck with that. And by the way, when you do find your bags, you’ll be instructed to drag them to another location only to throw them into yet another pile so they can be mixed up again.